Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it’s the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace were historically Alemannic-speaking, which explains the city’s Germanic name. With 759,868 inhabitants in 2010, Strasbourg’s metropolitan area (only the part of the metropolitan area on French territory) is the ninth largest in France.

Strasbourg’s historic city centre, the Grande Île (Grand Island), was classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre. Strasbourg is immersed in the Franco-German culture and although violently disputed throughout history, has been a bridge of unity between France and Germany for centuries.